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Learning How to Be A Scrabble Master

15th April 2022 by UBee

Scrabble is actually quite simple to play. The point of this board game is to come up with a word or words by placing letter tiles on the scrabble board in such a way that the tiles would yield the most number of points. Scrabble is a great board game because it helps build vocabulary. Not only that, scrabble also helps in developing the use of logic, because it is also a game of strategy.

To play scrabble, you will need a scrabble set. The scrabble set consists of the scrabble board, four racks, a tile bag, and 100 letter tiles. Up to four people can play scrabble, but some people enjoy putting up teams who will pit their vocabulary skills against each other using only one scrabble set. Scrabble can also be played solo, just like the card game solitaire.

A dictionary would also be handy for challenges. There is an official scrabble game dictionary available, but any other dictionary will do.

Scoring in Scrabble

Scoring in scrabble is determined by two things: the value of the tiles used in the word and the placement of the tiles on the board. There is also a 50-point bonus for players who were able to utilize all their tiles in one single round.

Pocket Watch Appreciation- A Skill and a Hobby

30th March 2022 by UBee

The history of the pocket watch is often overlooked in significance because of the many other inventions that were taking place. However, the pocket watch provided us with the first portable clocks giving us the power to know what time it was wherever we were. The pocket watch was a device that was very rich in the 16th century and only the high class could possess.

In the 16th century clocks were produced using springs instead of weights, signifying the transfer from clocks to watches. These old pocket watches were the first timepieces that could be owned by the public. Owning a pocket watch signified the status, wealth and power of an individual.

The 17th century made pocket watches even more desirable with a new look to the figure. The watch had changed from its original box-like look to a new rounded and slimmer case. Craftsmen began working ever so hard to create designs on every pocket watch made.

In 1675 some watchmakers discovered the importance of a spiral spring. By attaching the spiral spring to the balance, the accuracy of the pocket watch increased greatly. It was now possible to tell time by the minute as oppose to being off by a few hours. With this new discovery, the minute hand was born on the pocket watch.

The 18th century saw added improvement to the pocket watch with further development and more added features to drive up the price. Oil had become a popular method to lubricate and smoothen the movement of the hands of the watch. Jewels had begun to be used for the bearings in watches while diamonds were used on the high-priced watches. This shot the cost up to again give the rich the power to show their wealth and status.

In the middle of the 18th century another hand was introduced to show the increased precision in time. It was only a matter of time that a third hand would be added seeing that we were aware of time down to the second now. This allowed people to know the exact time of day it was through their pocket watch.

The 19th century brought several famous pocket watch makers that increased the value of the watch. Having multiple watchmakers added the competition to the quality of watch they sold, including how much they sold their watches for. The quality of watches sold was now better than ever with much more reasonable prices. The 19th century signified the peak of the old pocket watch.

As time passed further inventions were taking place and the invention of the wristwatch soon took the place of the pocket watch. While some old pocket watches are still around today, the wristwatch is the dominant choice of time now. Today old pocket watches are more of an antique collection than anything. While the pocket watch has served as a useful tool throughout the years, it now rests as solely a collection item that helped lead to the development of the wristwatch.

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Learn More About Badge and Pin Collecting

28th February 2022 by UBee

Pins are a hot collectible that offer an added advantage over other collections – they are small and do not take up much room. Pins are available in many motifs and themes. Some of the most collectible themes are Disney characters, sports teams, and Hard Rock Cafe. The first rule of pin collecting is to specialize. If you like the Manchester United Football Team for instance, you can start pin collecting with souvenir pins that celebrate this team. And just because these themes are popular doesn’t mean you have to collect them. Be original and collect what you like.

Many pins are centred around modern entertainments, but many pin collecting enthusiasts collect campaign pins from election campaigns. Buttons are a similar item and are collected by many of the same people who do pin collecting. Pins created to advertise businesses and services are also very collectible.

To display pins you have several options. When you wear a jacket with lapels, you can wear a few of your favourite small pins. The same goes for wearing a cowboy hat or a vest. Many pin collectors wear a few on the front of a cowboy hat. Tote bags, purses, and fanny packs are another place where some pins can be displayed.

Of course, as you get into pin collecting, you will soon find that you have too many to wear the entire collection at one time. A bulletin board, perhaps covered with a plain piece of fabric, like dark blue velvet, makes a nice backdrop for a pin collection. The pins can either be pinned into the cork of the bulletin board through the velvet or attached to the velvet first.

Another way to display and store pins is in a notebook. This method works well if you wish to take some of your pins to an event where you can do some trading with other pin collectors. To make the notebook, purchase sheets of hard felt or craft foam. Either punch holes in the side so they fit into a loose-leaf binder, or slip the pages into page protectors after attaching the pins to the pages. The type of loose-leaf binder that zips closed is the best to use for pin collecting.

Sometimes pins get scratched, especially if they are stored in a notebook arrangement such that they hit each other. The scratches can be smoothed over with a tiny bit of liquid car wax. Future scratching can be avoided by using page protectors in notebook collections.

Pin collecting is a very popular hobby. You can find groups of like minded people with which to trade pins, making pin collecting a hobby that helps people make friends.

Stamp Collecting As a Hobby-First Class Skill

9th February 2022 by UBee

Stamp collecting is a popular and rewarding hobby. If you are just starting out and would like to know where to start, here are some helpful tips.

It is said that the first rule of stamp collecting is to find a particular type of stamp you think you would like to collect and to take care of your collection. Some suggestions for types of stamps to collect are location of the stamp (i.e. country, state, etc.), stamp design, or a stamp for a particular season/holiday.

Some people collect one issue of a stamp in volume, one type of stamp only (sometimes referred to as a specialist), and some people collect all the stamps that are able to.

Once you have decided what type of stamp collector you want to be and what sort of stamps you want to collect, you need to learn how to properly care for your stamps.

The first piece of advice is to always use stamp tongs when handling your stamps. While stamp tongs bear a resemblance to tweezers, they are different from tweezers in that they do not have pointy ends. Tweezers should not be used in place of actual stamp tongs as they may damage stamps.

Stamps should not be handled with fingers or laid out on bare table surfaces as the natural oil in human skin and any particulates that may be on the table will cause damage to the stamp over time. When viewing stamps, they should be laid out on a clean piece of paper to avoid as much contamination as possible.

The basic necessary supplies for stamp collecting are the stamp tongs, an envelope to store your stamps in and a storage box to store the envelopes in. It is important to note that the stamp tongs will need to be purchased from a stamp store or can be found at a stamp show.

Once your collection grows, it is suggested that you invest in glassine envelopes for your stamps. These envelopes are made for stamp collecting and are semi-transparent. The glassine material is found to have no harmful effects on the stamps it stores.

It is suggested that once your stamp collection has grown and you have isolated what particular types of stamps you like to collect, you may wish to invest in a album for stamp storage.

Staying Inspired and Learning New Skills

2nd February 2022 by UBee

Are you ready for your inspirational thought for the day? When you first read it, it may seem too simple. However, if you think about it for even a moment, you’ll see that the implications are profound – and inspiring. This is it:

“Whatever goals you have in your life, and no matter where you are start, someone has succeeded at something similar or even more difficult, starting with less than you have.”

There may be some of you out of the six billion on the planet for whom this doesn’t apply. Perhaps some really want to do things that are far beyond anything a man or woman has ever done.

Want a loving partner? Somebody less attractive, charming and intelligent than you is getting happily married somewhere today. Want to create a new food and successfully market it? You probably already have more resources than Harlan Sanders had when he started trying to sell his Kentucky Fried Chicken. Want a big beautiful home? Three or more people in your town have such a home after being poorer than you at some point in their lives.

Is This An Inspirational Thought?

Anthony Hopkin’s character, in the movie “The Edge,” says “What one man can do, another can do.” He goes on to kill the bear that is stalking him. What if you aren’t as strong, as rich, or as smart as others? Not all those who have done great things were always stronger, smarter and richer than you. Just like them, you can learn the right things, take the right actions and put in the effort. This is why this is an inspirational thought. See where some people started from, and you’ll find yourself saying, “Hey! If he can do it, I can too.”

I told a guy he could save money to buy a home, and he claimed he just didn’t have any extra to save. He forget that he already knew several people who were making less money than him and surviving just fine. If he lived like those people for a while, couldn’t he bank the difference? (Just say yes – finding reasons why you can’t do something is a terrible habit to encourage.)

Would you like a date for this Friday? How? Here’s a clue: An awkward young man asked a woman friend why he couldn’t get a date. She asked if he had asked anyone out. After he thought about it for a moment he said, “No.” “That’s why,” she told him. Better example: I know a jerk who always had a date – after asking twenty women a week out. These are lessons, aren’t they? If a geek and a jerk can get a date, you can too, right?

Colonel Sanders drove around in an old van living off his benefits check as 900 restaurants told him they were not interested in his recipe. One eventually said yes, and he eventually made millions of dollars. Maybe this could inspire us to try something more than three times?

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